“I want to ask Michele Obama about how her efforts to fight childhood obesity are going,” said Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council member Wes Farrow from the airport Thursday.
Farrow was on his way to meet President Obama and---he hoped—his family Friday at a reception in Washington D.C.
Representing District 3
He represents District 3 on the neighborhood council, which is bounded by Glendale Boulevard and Rampart, Sunset Boulevard, and Temple Street.
Farrow teaches special education at Belvedere Middle School in East Los Angeles. He also chairs the neighborhood council’s Education, Families, Recreation and Libraries committee.
Neighborhood Council president Jose Sigala calls him "the voice of reason for the board."
Farrow was among those selected to meet Obama and other federal officials by the Young Elected Officials Network. He says the invitation came as a last minute surprise, though he has been involved with the Young Elected Officials before.
While he’s in Washington, he says he wants to hear how other local leaders are working to empower people in their communities to affect education.
“The governance of LAUSD is top down and sometimes lost due to size,” he said. “It’s really important hat community orgs help parents and local activists be involved in schools.”
Michigan Native
Originally from Michigan, Farrow moved to Los Angeles eight years ago. He’s lived in Echo Park for about two and a half of them.
Next year, Farrow is going to be taking some time off to take part in the Coro Fellows Program in public affairs.
But he hopes to keep reaching out to people in the Echo Park community and sharing what he's hearing in Washington about how community members can affect education.
As for his time in Washington, it won’t be all business. He’s hooking up with an old friend in the Navy who is just back from the Middle East.
